Bird shit smell

That's a really good deal. Especially it's to South Island.

You can check this website out too. I like to check their website to look for places to tramp around Auckland. Have fun!
http://epiclittlemissions.co.nz/

Recent June? The last I went there was July last year. It was winter so no one was in the water but when I was there in March 2016, the water was filled with people and I think the water wasn't blue also lol. Good that they stop ppl from swimming in the water.

The first time I went there in 2011, there wasn't even anything build there and hardly a soul

You'd have to go down south for far better scenery, that's for sure.

Nope. Just make sure your driving license is the new one which has English on it. Otherwise, get a translation at JPJ.

Haven’t heard of this. Says who?

For convenience and safety purposes, I would usually just use CC whenever possible (this applies to pretty much everywhere I go).

NZ is a very much card country. Not everywhere will accept CC but there are many places that will.

Nope, no tipping.
Nope, most places either accept credit card or do not. There are a few shops (usually retail like electronic shops) that do have a surcharge of 1-2% for credit card purchases but grocery and petrol definitely no problem with that.
Dining some places might not accept credit card, here everyone uses eftpos (kinda like debit card) but not everywhere accepts credit card.

Of course you need to declare maggi mee as food. It's memang food. When in doubt, just declare got food. It's anytime better than declaring you have no food and then customs finds out you are carrying some form of food. Just tell them instant noodles and usually no issues with going thru customs.

Not sure about egate at CHC airport but afaik, no egate at Auckland airport. Only citizens get to use the egate, not even residents.

What's your budget? I doubt there are any HOSTELS that have a view of skytower.

Very nice.
What time of the year did you go?

https://www.govt.nz/browse/recreation-and-t...reedom-camping/

It’s not that easy. Sometimes you don’t see civilization for miles and miles. The highway is not exactly the highways we have in Malaysia. It’s more like coastal road. Public toilets are usually available at picnic areas.

When is your travel period? I’m sure you can get campervan but whether within your budget or not only.

I’d prefer hiring a sedan car and staying at holiday parks or motels. Much more comfortable like that. The self contained cabin units at holiday parks are quite alright.

You can easily google for the information. And depends which part of the country you’re referring to as well.

In Auckland, it’s pleasantly hot. Summer is not as humid as Malaysia so when the temp goes up to 28c or so, it gets really really hot under the sun. When the wind blows, it’s very pleasant. However, if it goes higher, it’s much more uncomfortable than in Malaysia. If you’ve ever spent any summer in places like Melbourne, you just don’t want to go out at all. It’s not that bad in nz yet. The UV is much worse than Malaysia though.

Depends if you planning to go to snowy areas or not. It's always good to have waterproof shoes (hiking shoes or boots) as NZ is a country where rain come and go and always wet.

It's winter now so yes it's very cold. Even in north island its cold, south island is colder.

I suggest you get a pair of good waterproof comfy hiking boots, you can use them even in non-winter countries.